Everyone Has a Personal Relationship with Jesus

Through the years as a Christian, I’ve heard people misuse certain language and phrases when pointing people to trust Jesus Christ by faith. For some reason, these phrases become popular and passed on from person to person and from church to church. One such phrase is comes often in form of a question: “Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus?”

The heart of the question is good, because it’s seeking to point people to examine if they are in the faith. However, in an attempt to point people to see their need for Jesus Christ, they use extrabiblical language. Rather than asking someone to examine himself—the question is turned into a focus on a personal relationship. Why is this a bad method of communicating?

Such Communication Dulls the Biblical Language

The language of Scripture is often sharp and confrontational. It doesn’t lack an edge and is sharper than any two-edged sword that pierces inwardly—into the soul (Heb. 4:12). According to Jeremiah, the Bible is a consuming fire (Jer. 23:29). According to James 1:22-25, the Scriptures serve as a mirror.

In the Bible, we hear the biblical authors, prophets, apostles—pointing people to believe the gospel. Their language is emphatic and pressing. John the Baptist never asked Herod if he had a personal relationship with Jesus. Instead, he informed him with no uncertain terms that he was living in sin because he should’t have Herodias as his wife (Luke 3:19). Jesus himself spoke with conviction when he preached—pointing people to repent and believe the gospel (Matt. 4:17).

Everyone Has a Personal Relationship with Jesus

Everyone who has ever lived and everyone who will ever live in human history has a relationship with Jesus. No, this is not the doctrine of universalism—the false idea that everyone who dies goes to heaven. The fact is, even people in hell today have a personal relationship with Jesus. Their relationship is not a good one and God deals with such people in wrath, but make no mistake—it’s very personal.

When we talk with people over coffee or when we preach sermons—we need to go far beyond asking people if they have a personal relationship with Jesus. In fact, we should inform them that they have a personal relationship with Jesus and it’s in the form of personal accountability. It would be better to employ biblical language as we talk to people and point them to see their need for faith in Jesus Christ.

Do you have faith alone in Christ for the forgiveness of your sins?

Examine yourself to see if you’re in the faith.

Have you believed the gospel of God?

Have you obeyed God by repenting of your sins and by faith—trusting in the single sacrifice of Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins?

Do you have faith in the God who has revealed himself to us in the pages of the Bible and who has made known to us the mystery of salvation in the person of Jesus Christ?

Is your faith real and does it produce evidence?

Let our language be seasoned with the Scriptures rather than popular extrabiblical phrases that dull the sword and leave people with a confused view of salvation and what it means to be a Christian. Jesus is not our “boyfriend”—he’s the sovereign, ruling, King of the universe.

There are many other verses that say faith without works is dead or to run the race and take hold of the prize.
I am not in the habit of quoting scripture mainly bc too many are in the habit of ripping scripture out of its context or worse exploiting the word of God to their own gain.
With that said, I believe that salvation is a mystery between the heart and soul of a person and the one true holy God of Israel.
The gospel is from Genesis to Revelation, including the law of Christ and the Ten Commandments which are primarily summed up in the law of Christ and yet I’ve met so many Christians dodging these basic truths. Cheap grace is rampant among the groups who teach formula salvation. Such a beautiful mystery is anything but mechanical.
As I look upon Christianity, I’m saddened by the numerous divisions at play and I begin to think of the true reasons why we have them. It is the result of a man made ideology that purports a persons misinterpretation of holy scripture to fame and celebrity-ism status. How is anyone to know which groups are true and which is heresy? Only one can be truth.
One example is John Calvin, the father of Calvinism who claimed some 500+ years ago that Jesus died only for the elect. How cruel and brutish to teach such lies. Then burns brethren with green wood like he did Michael Servatus bc he rejected Johns theology. Calvin is adorned by many even today. Jesus never burned anyone with green wood. We could, at the very least, start there. I’ve met these zealot Calvinist who would just as soon shoot me with a gun and not flinch. Who insists I need to be reformed. The love of Christ has already done that.
This nearly caused me my faith but Jesus is true and merciful to his adopted and my heart was made calm in knowing Jesus’ blood is for everyone !
Just some thought provoking things to examine.

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Delivered By Grace is a theology blog that focuses on theology, SBC, preaching, the church, and many issues within the Christian life. Delivered By Grace is edited by Josh Buice and contributed to by various other preachers and writers. Unless otherwise noted, articles are written by Josh Buice.

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